I woke up with this poem floating in my mind:
By Jacob Nibengenesabe translated by Howard Norman (complete poem here)

There was a storm once
& that’s when
I wished myself into a turtle.
But I meant on land!
the one that carries a hard tent
on his back.
I didn’t want to be floating!
I wanted to pull everything inside
& dry.
Here comes the waves
shaking me
& I’m getting sick in the insides.
I wanted to be the turtle
eating buds & flowers & berries.
I’ve got to wish things exactly!
That’s the way it is
from now on.

Several nights ago I was noticing that I didn’t have any bird feathers for my new moon altar. And I thought, “I should get some bird feathers.” Yesterday, my sweet carnivorous black cat, Panther, brought a blue bird and left it on the carpet. It’s outside now, but he still hasn’t eaten it. This poem came to mind, “but I meant on land.” I meant that I wanted bird feathers that were dropped by a bird gently and willingly and I wanted them to be clean and tidy and available. I did not mean that I wanted to take the bird’s life for its feathers. I tried to tell Panther that we don’t do this, “we don’t take food that we aren’t going to use.” But he wouldn’t listen. He sees me throw things away that I’m not going to eat daily: plastic bags, the big twist-ties that come on vegetables. I hear him asking, “how is this different? It was fun. You do things for fun.” “I’ve got to wish things exactly! That’s the way it is/ from now on.”

You know those days when you were going to do something useful on the computer and suddenly it is hours later and your brain is a little foggy and you didn’t actually accomplish what you started out to do?

It is the seventh of April and the apricots are blooming! So is the forsythia and the violets and the dandelions have started. I remember one year when my brother went through the yard and beheaded all the dandelions for a perfectly green effect and we were pleased. Now, we’re all planting dandelions like mad and turning the lawn into an orchard.

I’m happy to announce that several Living Rhythm flower essence blends are now available at the Trading Post. It feels very exciting to be able to share these essences in this way. I went through a period of doubt with the essences and thought to myself, “isn’t the real thing better?” After a season of reflection my answer is: “yes, if you have the opportunity to fill your senses with apricot blossoms and let the essence of that seep into your soul, by all means, YES! Fresh seasonal food is generally better than preserved. Eat dandelion blossoms, turn them into wine, let your home be an altar to forsythia. Eat clover, brew it into tea, bathe in it. And, there is still a place for the preserved essence.” There are times when you don’t have access to the flowers, here in Colorado it’s called winter. Daffodils only bloom for a minute in the spring (and aren’t they are glorious right now). Also, for me, oftentimes it’s at inconvenient moments that I need the flowers: in the airport, in the car, at work, in the middle of a concert, and in those moments a couple of drops under the tongue of the essence can be very helpful. And so that’s why I’m putting them out into the world, to serve our health and evolution.

So, here’s to the healing power of flowers. Here’s to breathing them in and letting them serve your nervous system and your electrical system. Here’s to the healing power of nature and to our ever greater ability, as a culture, to allow nature to inform us as we move through the world.